NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Ducks seek to forge another tie in the best-of-7 Western Conference finals with Nashville when they take on the Predators in Game 4 Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.

To do so, they’ll need to possess the puck much more than they did in a 2-1 Game 3 loss and get another strong effort from John Gibson (8-5, 2.74 GAA, .915 SV%) in goal. The Ducks were outshot 40-20, and allowed the Predators to attempt 75 shots to their 38.

And in doing that, the Ducks wasted a 38-save performance from Gibson as the goalie delivered one of the stronger performances in his up-and-down postseason. They’re hoping that a decision not to skate Wednesday and instead focus on rest will make them a more energized group.

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“I think we needed to get away a little bit and maybe just let go and now regroup,” winger Andrew Cogliano said. “We all know the importance of the game and sometimes if you continue to think too much about it, it can work against you.

“I think yesterday was good and I think it’ll be beneficial and be productive.”

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said the discussion to stay off the ice took place right after Game 3. The Ducks went right from their difficult second-round series against Edmonton into this battle against Nashville, while the Predators had four days off between series.

“We’ve been trying to manage the things properly,” Getzlaf said. “Manage our workload. It’s been a lot of hockey here in the last 10 days. It’s a part of getting ready for tonight and we thought that was best for yesterday.”

Jakob Silfverberg has two goals in this series and Getzlaf had a three-assist effort in Game 2, though those have been his only points since Game 5 against Edmonton. Shea Theodore has played fewer than 13 minutes in three of his last four games. Cogliano played only 9:41 in Game 3, a low for these playoffs.

It remains to be seen if Ducks coach Randy Carlyle turns to veteran Kevin Bieksa on the blue line, with Theodore the likely choice to come out if that maneuver is made. Bieksa has not played since Game 1 of the second round when he suffered an apparent leg injury.

Carlyle also shuffled his forward lines throughout much of Game 3 so they may remain fluid, particularly if the Ducks fall behind. Another tactic he has continued is having two centers on the ice to start shifts, giving him the option of seeing what Nashville will do and keeping on the ice the center he wants for matchup purposes.

Here is the projected lineup for the Ducks:

Nick Ritchie-Ryan Getzlaf-Ondrej Kase

Andrew Cogliano-Ryan Kesler-Jakob Silfverberg

Rickard Rakell-Nate Thompson-Corey Perry

Chris Wagner-Antoine Vermette-Jared Boll

Cam Fowler-Sami Vatanen

Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Montour

Shea Theodore-Josh Manson

A major strength of the Predators is their mobile defense corps, and it has had an impact in the first three games of this series.

A Nashville defenseman has been involved in all but one of the team’s eight goals. Mattias Ekholm has a team-leading four assists in the series, while Roman Josi scored the winning goal late in Game 3.

The Predators lean heavily on their top four – Josi, Ekholm, P.K. Subban and Ryan Ellis. All play at least 22 minutes and sometimes well over that. And they excel at skating, moving the puck and getting shots through to the net.

“We’re fortunate,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’ve got good skating, skilled defensemen. And we try to work at our plan through the course of the year on how we want to play and the identity we’re trying to create. And I think our guys have a pretty good handle on it right now.”

Josi’s goal came on the power play – the result of an offensive-zone high stick on Ellis by the Ducks’ Chris Wagner – and it was the Predators’ first with the man advantage in the series. Nashville had come up empty on its first 11 tries and Laviolette gave credit to the Ducks’ work on the penalty kill.

“I do think that we’re getting some looks and we’re getting some opportunities,” Laviolette said. “Our shots are there. They haven’t dropped maybe as frequently as we have liked, would have liked, but I do see us in the offensive zone and getting the looks, some of the looks we want to get.”

The Predators figure to ice the same lineup as Game 3, where the only change they made was to insert forward Harry Zolnierczyk in for center Vernon Fiddler. Colton Sissons moved from the wing into the middle.

Another key in Game 3 was Nashville winning the battle in the faceoff circle. The Predators had a 35-28 advantage, with Ryan Johansen (11-for-20), Mike Fisher (11-for-19) and Sissons (5-for-8) all claiming more wins than losses.

Pekka Rinne (10-3, 1.58 GAA, .942 SV%) wasn’t tested often in making 19 saves in Game 3. Rinne bounced back from a subpar Game 2 where he allowed four goals on 26 shots.

Eric Stephens has been covering the Ducks and the NHL for news outlets since 2005 and for the Orange County Register since 2009. Now happily spreading the hockey gospel throughout the Southern California News Group. Has covered three Stanley Cup Finals and (sadly) one NHL lockout. Once took up an invitation to a fan's tailgate barbecue at the College World Series. Has all sorts of genres on his iPod and tries his best in whatever he does most of the time. Only the grits at Waffle House come close to his. Eternal goal: Be better.